A Chat with Keeble (15.05.26)
Exploring primal energy, communication, raw emotion, and life in general, singer-songwriter Keeble releases hard-hitting punches of rock, pop and indie. We speak with the UK-based musician about his debut album, Totemic, what music means to him, and much more.
OSR: Rather cliché, but how did you come to be a musician? What drew you to music, and was being a musician something you’d always wanted to be?
Keeble: I grew up with lots of music that my dad would play around the house. Beatles, Genesis, Fleetwood Mac. He had a few guitars lying around, so I would play about with them, not knowing any chords. My earliest recordings were just scraping and sliding along the strings and adding effects, which got me interested in production techniques. It wasn’t until I heard ‘Airbag’ by Radiohead that I knew I wanted to create and produce music. It just hit me right in my gut and inspired me. Growing up, I wanted to be a visual artist, but music overtook that and became my addiction.
OSR: What about the name “Keeble”? How did you decide on it, and does it mean anything in particular?
Keeble: Keeble is my surname. I wanted something simple and punchy, but personal. It’s a tribute to my dad too, who builds guitar pedals for me to get lost in.
OSR: You recently released your album Totemic. The word “totemic” often refers to a symbol of a tribe or sacred object. Which track on the album do you feel is the centre of the rest of the record?
Keeble: The anchoring track, I would say, is ‘Return to Centre’, a piano-led song over 808s. It’s about my schizoaffective disorder, and how I strive to be level-headed when I’m facing symptoms.
OSR: What can you tell us about Totemic? Is there a particular theme or concept, perhaps a back-story?
Keeble: With regards to the album title, I wanted each song to be an emblem of who I currently am. I knew I wanted 10 tracks. I wanted each song to lend itself to live performance. So I set myself the task of recording it very quickly, over a two-week period. I went in with only two songs written, ‘Return to Centre’ and ‘The Great Adaptors’, the rest I wrote as I went.
OSR: What was the process of making Totemic? Was it fraught with challenges or relatively smooth sailing?
Keeble: The process had its ups and downs, some songs coming very quickly, such as ‘Planes’, ‘Wilderness’ and ‘Decibels’. ‘Gradient Sky’ started off as a slow ballad, then got sped up considerably. ‘Luvvedup’ came as an acoustic guitar demo in my garden.
OSR: What do you hope people take from the album and your music?
Keeble: I hope people enjoy my melodies and unfussy production. The lyrics are quite insular, but hopefully relatable.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Keeble: Music is my world, I listen and think about it every day, always searching for new melodies and song ideas.
OSR: If you had to describe your sound in one sentence, what would you say?
Keeble: Psychedelic pop with a twist of 70s pop nostalgia
OSR: What can we expect from Keeble in the future?
Keeble: I’ve started working on the follow-up, which will feature more expansive arrangements, a wider range of influences and a more intricate production style.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Keeble: If you make music, don’t give up. Follow your own sound and create your own world that people can enter.
Many thanks to Keeble for speaking with us. Find out more about Keeble on his Instagram, Bandcamp and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
